


Along the Old Road

by alice_time



Category: Tin Man (2007)
Genre: Emotions, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Heroine's Journey, Hurt/Comfort, I gave the parents names because they needed names dammit, Life After the Witch, Protective Parents, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Spanking, figuring out life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 08:04:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12790293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alice_time/pseuds/alice_time
Summary: DG is trying to get used to life as a princess, as a sister, as a daughter. But she needs some space.Az is trying to get used to life without the witch. She needs some boundaries.Cain is just trying to keep them both safe.They aren't making it easy for him.*Ware - spanking





	Along the Old Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DG is getting tired of the constant supervision. Az is all too willing to help her sister out. 
> 
> *Ware, spanking near the end.

Word spread, far and wide, that the dark witch that had so long possessed the O.Z.’s eldest princess, was dead. The princess was free at last and the royal family was returning to the Northern Palace. The O.Z. would be set to rights again. Already, the fields of the Papay were blooming and fruit was growing. Finaqua had been restored and other places scorched during the witch’s rein would soon follow.

Old trade routes were reopening and old alliances renewed. The kindness and strength of the Gale family was again felt throughout the O.Z. Queen Ozma the seventh had re-established herself quickly, and while she may no longer have had the strength of her magic, she had her daughter’s and her husband to stand with her.

DG, however, was beginning to feel at odds. She had her memories back of her childhood. It had been a happy one, for the most part. She been loved so desperately. Her other parents, her robot parents, she still felt strange about that, but she also knew, deep in her heart that they had loved her in their own way. She could remember now being taken to the other side, saying a tearful goodbye to her father. Saying goodbye to her mother.

But some strange resentment toward the man was still there, though she couldn’t quite identify the source of it.

At the moment, all she could do was try to stay awake while Tutor went on, and on, and on. There was a lot of information to catch up on. Things she hadn’t learned from her robot father’s stories. This apparently included the full history and line of succession for the royals of her line. It was worse than learning Presidents of the United States.

“DG, are you paying attention?”

“Of course.” She blinked. “Okay, maybe not. Do I really need to know all of this?” The only names she’d cared to learn with any insistence were her parents’ names. While her mother had nicknamed her father Ahamo, after his home state on the Other Side, his proper name was William Shaw. William was a great deal easier for DG not to find ridiculous.

“Yes.”

Her head slowly fell forward, thudding onto the table top. This was going to take a long time.

After her afternoon of boredom, she had a quiet, slightly awkward dinner with her family. Az was settling back into things with similar awkwardness at least. Her sister had changed the most in presentation. Seeing her back soft colors, greens and blues with floral embroidery, all so much more suited to the taste of the girl DG remembered rather than the witch making the most of the young and lovely body she’d taken. Today she was in green and she looked like she’d gotten enough sleep for once. DG had found herself sleeping with Az more nights than not, helping her sister through the nightmares that plagued her.

“How were your lessons, dear?” her mother asked.

“I’ll get back to you on that.” DG grimaced. “I’ve got every king and queen of the O.Z. rattling around in here.”

Az smiled. “It’s a long list, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” DG nodded. “I feel like I could be doing something more…useful?” She raised her eyebrows. “I dunno.”

“Knowing your heritage is important,” her mother replied. “And you have done useful things, my dear. You restored the fields of the Papay. You’ve brought hope back to the O.Z. You can take the time now to breathe and learn.”

DG didn’t want to take time. She wanted to be _doing_.

“You could come with me on my next trip to the outlying territories,” her father said. “They’d like to see you, I’m sure.”

“I don’t know.” DG shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

“I nearly forgot,” he went on a moment later, “your friend Mr. Cain has agreed to take the post.”

DG couldn’t help her smile. “I didn’t think he’d want to be a royal babysitter.”

Captain of the Royal Guard, but still.

“He’s very protective of you,” her father replied. “A good quality to have in a Royal Guard. Besides, he knows you well enough I think he’ll be capable of anticipating any shenanigans.”

“Shenanigans?” She rolled her eyes.

Az laughed. “I think that’s a fair assessment, Deeg.”

“Ganged up on by the family.” DG shook her head. “I’m not that bad.”

Her sister smiled.

***

“Hey, kid.”

“Cain,” DG smiled. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to take the job. I know it’s not the same as being a Tin Man.”

“I did promise the Mystic Man to protect you, that promise is still good,” Cain smiled. “Besides, who else was I going to trust?”

DG laughed. “Well, thank you. I appreciate it.” She sighed. “You know, it’s been so weird. Ambrose is Glitch, but he isn’t. He’s not quite the Ambrose I remember either though. My sister is still working out who she is now. My parents want things to be like they were before all of this happened. But I’m not the girl they sent to the Other Side. I’m not the princess either. I don’t know how I fit in all of this.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Cain promised. “You’ve got time.”

“Yeah, and in the meantime, I’m playing at all of this.” She fluffed her skirts. The red dress made her think of her childhood. She was pretty sure that was the reason her mother had it made for her. “I feel like I’m home, I do. I just don’t feel useful.”

“You don’t have to be useful, kid. This is time you need to be spending getting to know your family again.”

“Yeah, except every time I’m in the room with my father I get this urge to hit him with something.”

Cain laughed. “Really?”

“Really. No idea why.” She sighed. “And I get this feeling that punching him in the nose would be like, the worst idea.”

He nodded in agreement. “Pretty sure that won’t end in a result you’d like.”

DG shrugged. “If I could just figure out _why_ I feel like this, maybe I’d feel better. Mom is trying to make me feel like this is all normal. Az needs me here, you know. Or I’d probably run off.”

“You decided to stop running a while back.” Cain put a hand on her shoulder. “I like the dress.”

“Really?” She raised her eyebrow. “I feel like a poppy.”

“It looks good.” He smiled. “Really.”

“I feel ridiculous though.” She plopped down on a nearby chair. “You know, I think maybe I should take a trip.”

“A trip?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “See the O.Z., without my parents hovering over me like I might vanish if they look away for an instant.”

“You think they’ll go for that?”

“Not really.” DG kicked her feet. “It’s just an idea.” It was more than an idea, actually. She had a map, a plotted course, and a motorcycle.

“Ask, see what they say.” Cain smiled. “You’ll sort this out eventually, kid. You just need time.”

“Yeah,” DG nodded, “time.”

***

“This is a bad idea,” Az said. “Really Deeg. A _bad_ idea.”

DG shrugged. “At least I’m not dragging you into it this time.” She shoved another rolled shirt into her saddlebag. “I’ll be back in a couple months.”

“And in the meantime, Mother and Father will have a search party scouring the countryside for you.” Az smiled wryly. “You’re going to cause panic.”

“A little panic is good for everyone.” She handed Az the thick letter she’d written. “They won’t panic, Az. Just—don’t worry.”

Az sighed, but gave DG a strong hug. “Are you sure this is what you need?”

“Yes.”

“Then good luck, little sister.”

***

DG found it easy to sneak out of the palace. It was even easier to get to the brick road. While the road itself was in need of some serious repair in the forested regions, it was relatively solid here. There were a few patrols to dodge, but DG had been growing steadily more adept in her magic and she hadn’t planned this getaway without also practicing a bit of magic to help her on the way. Particularly a bit of illusion. She slipped by the patrols and rode south.

She marked area of road on her map that were particularly bad. She steered away from Central City though. DG wanted to see parts of the country that she hadn’t before. She wanted to see this place without being surrounded by guards. She wanted to be alone for a bit. She’d gone from her small family in her small town, to alone, to her little band, and then straight into the arms of her family and the massive protection detail that came with it.

She needed this.

Being anonymous again make her feel more like herself. Riding her motorcycle. Her first week out she stopped at a couple farms, helping fix a few windmills and generators. It felt… _right._ She could put her hair up, get her fingers greasy, and wrap her head around the problems she knew how to solve.

Back at the palace, Az had spent that first week doing her utmost to convince everyone that her sister was still in residence. It was nearly successful, until Cain cornered her after breakfast.

“Mr. Cain,” Az gave him a tentative smile. She wasn’t quite sure how to talk to the man. He knew she wasn’t…she wasn’t the witch, but it was still _hard_. “Can I help you?”

“Where is DG?”

“Lessons.” Az’s eyes widened slightly. “She always has lessons after breakfast.”

“Ambrose just spoke to me, says she’s missed her lessons this week. Which got me thinking about how, other than at great distance, I haven’t seen her either this week. And given you and your sister are wily magical creatures, I’m guessing you’ve been giving everyone the impression she’s here, when in fact she is _not_.” Cain raised his eyebrows at her. “Well?”

Az flushed. “She’s not here. She left.”

“She left.” Cain flashed back to his conversation with the princess last week. “She went off on a walkabout, didn’t she?”

“That’s one way to put it. Mr. Cain, I can keep up this ruse for a couple more days at least, and that gives her more time.”

“More time to get herself killed by bears or any of the witch’s supporters still wandering.”

“She can take care of herself, Mr. Cain.” Az’s spine straightened, a little steel flashed in her eyes. “My sister isn’t incapable.”

“No, but she’s alone out there.” Cain sighed. “I have to tell your parents.”

“A few more days—”

“No.” Cain shook his head. “And you’re coming with me.” He took her by the arm. “Let’s go.”

Az sighed. This wasn’t going to go well.

***

“You just let her go?” William snapped.

“I thought it was the right thing to do,” Az replied. She handed over the letter. “I still do. Deeg was feeling…trapped.” Az knew all too well what that felt like. She never wanted her sister to feel that way.

Her parents took the letter, reading silently but casting slightly disappointed looks at their elder daughter.

Az sighed. She felt, much of the time, like the little girl she’d been when the witch took over. She hadn’t much opportunity to grow emotionally while possessed. She tried to hide that, but she knew it was too easy for her family to read her emotions. She did feel a bit guilty about letting DG go, but not as guilty as her parents probably thought she should be feeling.

“She’ll be back,” Az commented as the letter was set aside. “Let her have this time.”

“Mr. Cain,” Ozma turned to him. “I need you to find and retrieve my youngest daughter.”

“Mother,” Az protested. “You can’t keep wrapping her up in gauze and putting her on a shelf like a doll. You can’t—neither of us are quite so fragile.” She raised her chin.

“We aren’t—”

“But you are.” Az was feeling more strong-willed than usual. It was a good sign, truly, that the princess was regaining her personality and shedding some of the timidity that had plagued her. It was a testament to her strength that she had remained in spite of the witch. “DG will be back. She’ll be happier.”

“She could be hurt,” Ozma said. “She has only the most basic of magic mastered. She isn’t prepared to defend herself. Mr. Cain will find her and bring her home.”

“Father,” Az pleaded. “Please, let DG have some space.”

“I’m sorry, precious, but I agree with your mother.” William’s expression turned stern. “I presume you’ve been keeping up appearances for her this week.”

“Well, yes.” Az kept her chin up. “My sister asked for my help and gave it.” And she wasn’t about to apologize for it.

“We’ll discuss that in further later,” William promised. “Mr. Cain?”

“I’ll find your daughter,” Cain agreed. He nodded to each of the royal family and ducked out. He was certain he didn’t want to watch Az get scolded. Though he did intend to scold the other wayward princess himself. Whatever her reasons, going off on her own without even a word to him or one of her other friends? That was just plain foolish.

He’d find her, for certain, but Az’s argument hadn’t fallen on deaf ears.

Whatever DG needed, he’d make sure she got it.

***

“If you are going to behave like a child, I will treat you like one,” William said. “And this entire thing reminds me far too much of you bailing your little sister out of trouble. Whether it was helping her steal sweets from the kitchen or that little misadventure with the Munchkins.”

“I’m not behaving like a child,” Az snapped. Though, stamping her foot didn’t help her in that regard. “You’re the one whose being intemperate.”

“Azkadellia,” Ozma said, “I know you’re trying to help your sister. I know that all of this has been very difficult for you. I also know that you are still adjusting, that does not give you license to behave so foolishly.”

“My sister asked for my help. I was not going to deny her.”

“Dearest,” William turned his attention to his wife, “I believe I must discipline our daughter.”

Ozma sighed. “Yes, I’m afraid you’re right.” Ozma did not care to be present during such things. “Azkadellia, you will be restricted to the palace grounds until your sister is returned. I will see you at dinner.” She stopped on the way out of her daughter’s bedroom to kiss Az on the cheek. “Be good.”

Az flushed, recalling all too well the last time she’d been in this position. She’d been a great deal younger then, though it had been DG who’d gotten her into the trouble then as well. Though Az couldn’t bring herself to blame DG for this. Az had made the decision. She was going to stick by it.

“Father, I’m far too—”

“You are not.” He sat on the end of her bed. “Come here, Azkadellia.”

With great reluctance, his eldest daughter made her way over to his side and let herself be drawn down over his lap. She was grateful to at least have the support of the mattress. Her corsets were no longer quite so firm as the witch had preferred her to wear, but she still wouldn’t want to dangle while wearing one. She was also grateful that her father had left her skirts as cover.

His tucked her close to his chest. “As I said before, if you behave like a child, I will treat you like one.” He patted her behind in warning. “Aiding and abetting your sister’s misbehavior is not acceptable, Azkadellia.”

Regardless, she would’ve done it again if given the choice. Though she wasn’t foolish enough to say that aloud. “Yes, Father.”

“Good.” He spanked, and in spite of the layers of fabric between his hand her behind, it still stung. “Because I am perfectly willing to revisit this discussion every time you feel the urge to behave like a child.”

The smacks continued, William keeping a steady pace, and as he began to get to about twenty, Az found herself unable to continue her stoic mien. She kicked and let out a small yelp. The spanking continued, and Az’s discomfort grew until at last she threw her hand back, attempting to cover her already sore posterior.

William simply took her wrist in hand, moving her hand out of the way and resumed spanking.

“You do not get to decide when we are done, Azkadellia.” He shook his head. “Are you so determined to be naughty?”

Az was _not_ answering that question. The first tears were trickling down her cheeks, and a soft sob shook free of her chest.

“I understand you feel the need to be loyal to your sister. But she has put herself in danger with this stunt, and I will _not_ lose my children again. Do you understand?”

Well, that struck Az’s emotional core. She began to cry harder. She couldn’t imagine losing her family now that she’d found them again. She couldn’t imagine losing DG.

“I—understand.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry, Father. I’d no intention—I would never put her danger.”

“I know, precious.” Certain his point had been made, for the moment at least, William stopped spanking and released her wrist. He rubbed her back. “It’s all right, I forgive you.” He let her cry a bit longer before pulling her upright and into his lap, rocking her and rubbing her back, humming an old lullaby. “I know how hard this has been for you. I know it’s been hard for DG. But running away from home isn’t going to solve it.”

Az truly didn’t think that had been DG’s intention, but her father wasn’t going to listen to reason just now. She’d wait until a few days. Though, right then, she was a little sore, she also felt quite loved.

“I love you so much, precious,” he whispered. “You and your sister mean the world to me. I only want to protect you.”

“I know, Father,” she whispered back. “I know.”


End file.
